My Soul For A Pen
by MidnightRevel
Summary: Explore the Azreal Islands with Grace Fletching as she serves out a life debt. On the outside, the islands may seem like a peaceful paradise, but underneath that surface is a darkness that grows stronger each day. Grace will need all the help she can get if she wants to survive her adventure.


I knew what I had done. I knew the consequences of my actions. I remembered the executions of those who had committed similar crimes. I remembered the cold gaze of the Council members as they swept the crowds, warning others of their punishment should they do the same. Yet, I was surprised when I found the guards pounding on my door.

"Grace Arianna Fletching," the tallest one had read off his parchment. "You are hereby under arrest for crimes of treason against the crown. They are listed as such: posing as a male student in the Hoenn Military Academy, illegal possession of a Monster, possession of said Monster for an indeterminate amount of years before enrollment in the Academy and unlawful training of the Monster against rogue Monsters of the wild."

I stood stupefied with the door handle in my hand, hardly believing what was happening. I was still in my uniform, my hair tied in a horsetail with the green strip of cloth used by the rest of the boys. I couldn't deny any of it, especially standing here in my green tunic and black leggings.

"Have you anything to say?"

I couldn't say a single word. My mouth flapped open and closed as I tried to drag up a story for my innocence. The dark look the middle-heighted one gave me silenced any attempt. I could tell he could spot a lie a mile away. I shut my lips and simply raised my head.

I knew that I could have been caught at some point, and I guess that point was today. I strode out of my door and locked it behind me with the rusty old key, knowing that no one would open it for a very long time. I would walk away from this without regrets, I would hold my head high and face my sentence like the steadfast person my fellow students had come to know me as.

They cuffed me and two of them stood on either side, the other two in front, leading the way. We were all silent, no words to say or curses to fling, only them doing their jobs and I accepting my fate.

They paraded me down the street, past the neighbors I had gotten to know over the years. Mrs. Wilheim, the old widow that made breads and sweets looked at me sadly and worriedly. Mr. Adams looked so surprised, I almost expected him to charge up and demand to know what was happening.

"Gabriel?" the sudden call almost made me trip over my own feet. I looked up from my stumble to find a pair of vibrant blue eyes staring back into my own. _No, not him, not Caine_, I moaned internally. _Anyone but him_. "Gabriel!"

Caine rushed up to me and my escort, his long legs closing the distance quickly. The guards let him pass with no resistance. I bet they must have thought he was just a neighbor boy. He grabbed my shoulders and looked me up and down, his sapphire eyes taking in the cuffs and the fact that I hadn't changed out of my uniform yet.

"Gabriel, what's going on?" he asked, glaring intensely at me. I felt my gut plunge. I hadn't ever expected having to tell Caine of my lies. He was always just going to be left in the dark like the rest of our class.

"I'm sorry Caine, but I'm not Gabriel," I told him quietly, my voice trembling. "I'm not the boy you became friends with. You're going to have to find a new sparring partner."

"What do you mean?" he questioned, always think in the skull.

"This is Grace Fletching," the guard to my right bluntly stated. "_She_ is under arrest for multiple crimes."

The betrayal I saw in Caine's eyes as he looked back at me nearly broke my heart in two. We had become such good friends. He had openly admitted his secrets to me. He had taught me how to fight better with my small frame. I looked away from his eyes. I couldn't meet that gaze full of hurt and loss.

"I'm sorry Caine." He shook his head and started backing away, horrified at me.

"No, that's not true!" he shouted. "You can't be a girl. You've been at the academy for months!" I let him stumble over his thoughts silently. Caine would just have to accept it.

"We are bringing this treasonous girl to the prison tonight. Her trial is in the morning if you wish to attend." Caine's eyes darkened, turning the color of the midnight sky.

"I will be there," he said darkly. "And I will prove that _Gabriel_ has done nothing wrong." I watched as he darted down the street, to his own home not three doors down from mine. I felt a bit of my heart break. I never wanted to betray Caine, but now there was no turning back.

"Let's go," the lead guard said, turning down the street once again. I sighed and followed.

It took us nearly half of the evening to get to the prison. The old caretaker seemed surprised at the sight of an Academy boy being brought in. But when they told the man of my charges, he had given me the iciest glare I had ever received. I flinched when his old eyes burned into mine.

They left me with the old man and he led me to the last cell on the right. There weren't any other prisoners besides 'Drunk Jack' as we had called him. He was always bumming around the streets, looking for drink money. The boys at the Academy always tried to get him to buy them wine and ale from the tavern near the North Gate.

When the caretaker locked the cell door behind me, I rubbed at my wrists. They were bruised from the cuffs that were far too tight. Though, they paled in comparison to the bruises I already had from sparring with the other students. I rubbed at the large one on my back, the one Marko had given me that morning. Damn, that boy could really throw a punch. I sat on the wooden bench shoved against the wall, placing my face in my hands and my knees up to my chest. I was in such big trouble that I couldn't even comprehend how tomorrow could go.

The Hoenn Military Academy was one of the best schools on all of Hoenn. It taught young men from all over the region how to handle the Monsters they were given. It taught them how to fight and follow military orders. It was the only place where citizens were allowed to obtain and keep the magical Monsters that we shared our land with.

Here in Hoenn, it was illegal for mere citizens to own a Monster. That right was reserved for royalty, nobles and military men. I didn't know about the laws in the other regions, but I could only imagine they were the same. And that's where I had gotten in trouble in the first place. I had owned a Monster as nothing more than a farmer's daughter.

I couldn't just leave it there, dying and alone. I had dragged the fledgling bird home, struggling under its already formidable weight and bulk. My father, understandably, had been worried to say the least. But I had begged and begged and he had seen the pain my bird had been in. He had given in and helped me tend to it.

We raised my metal bird until it could fly again. But as soon as I told it to go, it pecked me on the head and settled right next to me. No matter how much I told it to leave, it stayed rooted by my side. So I kept it. Since it refused to leave anyway, I might as well have just kept it around for a guard bird.

A yawn split my jaw and I reclined on the hard bench. Tomorrow my fate would be decided and I would live with it.

My trial started not long after the sun made its way over the East Gate. I was rudely dragged off the bench by the caretaker and he cuffed me again, handing me over to the guards that came to fetch me like I had some horrible disease. The guards brought me out to a wooden wagon in the street and set me in the back. We traveled from there to the courthouse in much faster time than it took us to get to the prison.

There were already people crowding into the building, each vying for a place to stand and sit. It wasn't every day that a girl got arrested for treason. But trials were always a big thing in our tiered city. Those from the lower tiers got to get out and about the higher tiers for a day and everyone loved a good case to shout at. I had even joined a few of the school boys in jeering at the wife-beaters and black market smugglers.

I was sat in the criminal's box, near the front of the room. My prosecutor, a paid official of the region, sat to my right. He looked like an overstuffed Chatot. His girth filled out his colorful clothes more than enough to tell strangers he was nowhere near middle-class.

The general public behind me hissed and jeered at me until the Council members took their seats. All thirteen of them wore jade masks, an effort to keep their identities a secret and keep everything fair. Everyone knew they were bribed beforehand anyway. It wasn't like they wouldn't notice thirteen men all going into the same room and not coming back out. I recognized Mr. Carrick, the man who lived not three blocks from my house, among them. His red hair was unmistakable to anyone that would know him.

The lead judge, a man I didn't recognize, called the court to order, slamming his gavel on the wooden surface of their ornate table. He shouted over the people, "Order! All rise for her Majesty, Queen Silvia." I blatantly jumped at her name.

_The queen?! What is the queen doing at my trial_?! I thought as I rose with the rest of the citizens. _The queen is really here_?! The large doors behind the judges opened up and a woman stepped through. Her black hair fell in curls, all the way to her back. She was practically dripping blue silk and green satin. Deep emeralds dotted her ears and her crown, all leading to her face. Quite honestly, she was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Her eyebrows arched in perfect curves, her lips were painted red with make-up and her icy eyes were clear and bright.

She sat in the highest chair, two large men on either side of her, their armor inscribed with the symbol of the Queen's Guard. Everyone in the room sat and I followed, nearly collapsing into my chair. If the queen was here to preside over my trial, then I was in so much more trouble than what I thought. The queen's eyes roved over the people, her citizens, before they stopped on me, eliciting a furious blush and a queasy rolling in my stomach.

"Prosecutor, please state the case," she said gently, looking over to the fat man in the colorful clothes. He huffed and immediately took his place in front of the judges' table.

"Your Majesty," he addressed her first, earning a small raise of her chin. "Ladies and gentlemen of the court, I am here today to convict a corrupted youth of treason against our fair region and our lovely queen. Not only has this young woman posed as a male to enter the esteemed Hoenn Military Academy, but she has had possession of a Monster for who knows how long before she had even applied." This is met with gasps galore. Everyone in the room seems so aghast at me, it was borderline humiliating. All I had done was take in an injured Monster and nurse it back to health. It wasn't my fault that the bird had stuck around and refused to leave.

"Not only that, but she was seen battling this Monster against the wild ones! She was training it to be stronger and more brutal than those of the other students at the academy. Arceus only knows for what sinister plot she had been training for." I bristled at this. I was only doing the training routines that the teachers had recommended! There was no crime in doing my school work! But more of the crowd gasped and leered at me, disgusted and already forming that mob mentality that could mean big trouble for me.

"I only ask that she be removed from our fair city, one way or another, before she corrupts the rest of our youth. The very idea of a citizen possessing a Monster!" With that last scathing remark, the prosecutor sat in his seat and started fanning himself. _What a pompous jerk_, I thought silently.

The Council members called up more than enough witnesses to certainly convict me of my crimes. Mostly they were people I had passed just about every day to get to the academy; stall owners, bums from street corners and shop employees. They had gone through many people before something in the back disturbed the people. Someone was shoving their way to the front. I felt my heart do a strange little leap when I saw Caine's head of blonde hair pop out of the crowd.

"I have evidence to give as well!" he shouted, very disrespectfully might I add. He stopped short when he saw the queen, blushing and bowing quickly to try and save what little face he had left. "Your Majesty, if I may?" She smiled and gestured for him to take the floor. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Caine walked his way to center stage. He turned to face the crowd, winking at me discreetly while I sat dumbfounded. What evidence could Caine possibly offer in my innocence? He had no proof that I was allowed at the school, or the all-encompassing fact that I was a girl. If it came right down to proving it, I couldn't do that! I was guilty of everything they had accused me of. There was no way for me to walk away from this trial alive!

"My Lords of the Court, and her most enrapturing Majesty, I offer you the evidence that you don't know how long Gabriel had his Monster. I myself watched as he was assigned his Monster by the Headmaster, just as I was with my Monster." Caine glanced down at the striped dog at his side. Growlithe were popular among the military for their loyalty and their courage. "His Monster was led directly from the stables to him where the Headmaster assed their compatibility and declared them partners. Gabriel did not own that Monster before the day they were assigned as partners."

Lies. It was a hard bit of maneuvering, especially since my bird never liked to leave my side, but I had snuck it into those stables with the new Monsters that were captured for the students. All it had to do was be itself around me and refuse any other student, which let's face it, it would have done anyway.

"Go on, young man," the queen prompted. Caine blushed and cleared his throat.

"Gabriel didn't know that bird before they had been assigned. So two of your charges are wrong. Then that leaves two more. I know nothing of Gabriel before he attended the academy, but those witnesses of him battling against rogue Monsters are right. He was battling against the wild creatures, but that is what we were assigned. Our teachers advised us to go down to the farming tier and defend the crops from wild Monsters to learn about our Monsters fighting skills better. It is a learning exercise for all of us students."

Oh dear Lord. Caine was actually sounding convincing. Could I actually get away with my life if not my freedom? For the first time since the guards arrived at my door, I was feeling a glimmer of hope. I almost laughed out loud from the ridiculous feeling as it bubbled up in my stomach.

"Thank you for your consideration, Your Majesty, my Lords," Caine said, bowing out and taking a seat in the closest place he could. He winked at me again and I looked away before he could see that unwarranted sliver of hope on my face.

"Thank you, young man, for your… evidence," the head judge said from behind his mask. "But we have much more reliable proof that she has tricked you too. Your evidence, though very well thought out and well-meant, is of no use to us." And just like that, my glimmer of hope died. I should have known that they would have looked into my case more thoroughly than just a few rumors and random strangers.

"Grace Fletching, you may present your side of the story," the queen said, speaking directly to me. I pointedly looked at the guard to my left, seeing whether he would stop me or not if I took the floor. He stared straight ahead so I took it as a no. I pushed back my chair and walked up to the center of the room.

"Grace, please tell us, why did you capture a Monster and enroll in the academy?" her Majesty asked softly. I took a deep breath and let it out, to calm my shaking nerves.

"First I would like to ask something," I said. Queen Silvia nodded hesitantly. "Will Tsuretsu be all right?" She looked confused.

"Tsuretsu?" she asked.

"Yes. Tsuretsu is my Monster. I want to know if he will be all right regardless of what happens to me in this trial." Queen Silvia almost frowned and looked to the guard on her left. She whispered something into his ear and he nodded.

"Well, Grace, I can assure you that my military will be sure to take good care of him." I breathed out a sigh of relief and smiled a bit. As long as Tsuretsu would be okay, I was okay. That big bird meant the world to me.

"Thank you, your Majesty. But you want to know why I had him. See, I lived out in the farming tier, along the forest. I was sent out to gather berries for my mother and I had found Tsuretsu as a fledgling. It had been hurt and I couldn't stand to just leave it there to die. So I brought Tsuretsu back home and nursed it back to health. My father warned me that we would have to get rid of it once he was better, but I hadn't realized that Tsuretsu was as stubborn as it is. It wouldn't leave when I tried to release it, so I kept it. Tsuretsu kept other Monsters away from our crops and even protected me whenever I went out into the forest.

"But then my parents died during that awful storm a year ago. Lightning had struck our barn and it spread to the house. The only reason I survived was because Tsuretsu dragged me out of the house. I had nowhere to go and no one to go to. I only had Tsuretsu. I remembered that military trainees and officials are given Monsters to battle with and I decided to join the academy. But they only accept boys. I had to get in to keep Tsuretsu, but that meant lying and pretending. I took the chance. I knew that if I graduated, I could have gone off with my life after serving my three years and lived with Tsuretsu legally.

"Your Majesty, I meant absolutely no harm or bad intentions. I only saw it as my only choice. Tsuretsu made it clear that it wouldn't leave and I couldn't go about town with a Monster bird by my side. It was the only way I could think of to stay safe. That's why I enrolled under the name Gabriel Arkvain. Please, just don't let Tsuretsu be mistreated. I can take any verdict you pass, but Tsuretsu did nothing wrong." The whole room had fallen deadly silent, even the mockers in the back that usually never shut-up.

"What did you plan on doing after you had served in my military?" the queen asked, breaking the stifling silence. I blushed and hesitated. Why did she want to know that? It was only a silly little goal for me.

"I was going to explore the Azreal Islands, your Majesty," I replied, looking at the floor.

"For what purpose?" she asked. I didn't want to tell her my silly dream, but I saw that I had no other option.

"Because I wanted to map them."

A faint glimmer of some indescribable emotion flickered through the queen's eyes. She smiled as if someone had just told her a joke. Did she really think my dream was that silly? The citizens in the courtroom were growing restless. They'd wanted to see me hanged, or imprisoned at least.

"Grace Arianna Fletching," the queen said calmly, "I do believe I may have use for you yet. I do hereby pardon you of the crimes laid out, and by doing so, you now owe me your life do you not?" My eyes nearly fell out of my head as I gasped. She _pardoned_ me! The entire courtroom fell silent. The judges stiffened into statues. You could hear a pin drop.

"Yes, Your Majesty," I finally managed to squeak. She lifted her head with the smallest of smiles.

"You shall be brought to my castle where you will serve out your debt to me," she declared to the entire court. "Your life is now mine, and I shall use it as I deem fit. This trial is dismissed."

All at once the people in the court went crazy. Men and women all burst out with disbelief and confusion. The judges all tried to keep order, but they too were stunned. I was grateful that I was not back near the people, but still standing in the middle of the court where I had been questioned. Caine's eyes found mine through the muddle of bodies and limbs. I only had enough time to give him a smile before one of the queen's very own guards wrapped a large hand around my arm and escorted me out of the court. That was when I realized that I was now indebted to the queen.

I was alive, but it could get so much worse.

**Hello, hello! Welcome to my Pokémon story! As you should know, since they aren't calling the Pokémon, well… Pokémon, this story just so happens to take place in the past. Since there is no way to keep these adorable killing machines in your pockets, they'll just be called Monsters. Secondly, this story will largely take place not in Hoenn. Since I don't feel like it! Haha! Creative liberties! Woo! ~Revel**


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